Mark F.

One day when crossing the street, Mark Fourmentin was struck by a motor vehicle. The accident left Mark with multiple injuries, including fractures of the skull, femur, tibia, fibula, ribs, and vertebrae. He admitted to Northwest Texas Hospital (NWTH) for his injuries.

Upon arrival at NWTH, Mark was evaluated and placed in surgical ICU. His physicians consulted and developed the needed plan of treatment. After multiple surgeries and 16 days at NWTH, he discharged to Vibra Hospital of Amarillo to begin his long journey to recovery and eventual return home. There, Mark continued to work on his recovery and began the therapy process to build up to his strength. The goal was to be able to participate in three hours of therapy per day and transfer to Vibra Rehabilitation Hospital of Amarillo. After six days at the long-term acute care hospital, he was ready to make the transfer to the rehabilitation hospital.

Mark’s wife says her biggest worry after transferring to the rehab hospital related to his cognitive skills. “I was very worried about him and the future," she said, "because at the time he was unable to follow simple directions and didn’t even know who his grandkids were. But after just a few sessions of working with Val (his speech therapist), he was back to close to 100%. It was almost like an overnight miracle!”

As he began working with physical therapy and occupational therapy during his stay, Mark told his wife, “I know this is going to be a long and painful recovery.” But he fought through the pain and has so far made an amazing recovery. While he was in a full leg cast he had difficulty getting around in a walker. Since the cast has been removed and he has been placed in a boot, he is now able to get around for short periods of time on his own with a walker.

Mark recalls one interaction with a member of the nursing staff that also works at NWTH. She came into his room and looked shocked when she realized who he was. She had treated him at NWTH shortly after he arrived there. She told him that he looked 100 times better than what he had when he was at NWTH a little over one month ago.

After a total of 51 days in the hospital, Mark discharged home with home healthcare to continue on his journey of recovery. When asked if they had anything else they would like to say, both Mark and his wife said, “what ya’ll have here is totally awesome! We are very grateful that there is a place like this to go to in a crisis like what we have experienced.”